Art Howe topic of Rotary talk

Stephanie Sullivan

Recently Stephanie Sullivan spoke to the Rotary Cub of Scenic 7 regarding her dad, famed baseball player and manager Art Howe.

Sullivan entitled her speech, "my life growing up in baseball." She said her dad always took the road less traveled and his family went right along with him.
Arthur Henry How was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Dec. 15, 1946. He was the youngest of six children. The first to go to college. He had a natural talent for baseball and the urge to go west.
Howe went to the University of Wyoming on a football scholarship. He got on the train in 1965 leaving Pennsylvania for a college and adventure in Wyoming. Howe played quarterback but was injured in practice and had to have back surgery on a disc. His career in football ended before it ever began.
Howe just switched to baseball and without missing a beat obtained his degree in 1969. He did not get any offers from the baseball clubs.
He moved back to Pennsylvania, married his high school sweetheart and went to work for Westinghouse.
Howe continued to play baseball in a local sand lot game. A friend of his believed in his talent and wrote to all of the major baseball teams in an attempt to get Howe a tryout. This letter writing campaign resulted in a tryout and offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Sullivan’s mom was pregnant with her when the offer was made. It was a tough decision to leave the security of a company job with Westinghouse to pursue a baseball career in the minor league at 24 years old. After a lot of discussion the young family decided to follow the dream. Howe made his debut on July 10, 1974. His final game was April 19, 1985.
Sullivan grew up in Houston, Texas after Howe was traded to the Houston Astros when she was three years old. The bulk of Howe’s playing career was with the Astros. His job allowed for a lot of time with his family. Sullivan spent a lot of time at the ball park watching her dad play after her homework was done.
She said she did not appreciate her dad’s coolness factor. Sullivan recalled a time when she was a child sitting in the players’ family section of the ball park and a disgruntled fan was saying nasty things about her dad. She turned and told the man not to talk about her dad that way. The fan was embarrassed and kept his trash talk to himself for the rest of the game.
Sullivan reminisced about the year the Astros made it to the playoffs. In 1980 the Astros were neck and neck with the Dodgers. It was a heartbreaker, the Astros lost in the seventh game.
When asked by a reporter as a child how she helped her parents she told him, "I mind my own beeswax."
Howe did not idle during winters while Sullivan was growing up. When she was three her family spent the winters in Puerto Rico where her dad could play and manage a team in the Carribean league. Up through fifth grade Sullivan spent part of each school year attending school in Puerto Rico.
Because Howe was prone to injury he decided early on to pursue a career as a manager. Puerto Rico opened the door and gave him the experience to move on in management in the States. In 1984 Howe was playing for the Cardinals when he ended his career as a player.
Sullivan’s senior year in high school she was back in Houston where her dad became the manager for the Astros. He went from being one of several hundred baseball players to being one of 27 managers. Sullivan was finally starting to realize how famous her dad was.
Sullivan went on to attend Trinity College in San Antonio while her dad pursued his career as a baseball team manager.
Howe managed the Houston Astros for five years, the Oakland Athletics for seven years and the New York Mets for two years. During his career Howe had a reputation for rebuilding teams. He set the major league record for a winning streak.
Today, Howe is a commentator back in Houston. He is also teaching baseball in Italy.
In 1995, Sullivan was in a horrible car accident while she was in law school. Her dad was in the middle of a game in Atlanta. Baseball fans across America knew of Sullivan’s accident when her dad left the game to be with her. She said that was the kind of man he is, family first. Sullivan recovered from her injuries, went on to become a lawyer, get married and have two children. Today she is a stay at home mom.
The Rotary Club of Scenic 7 meets Thursdays at noon at Molly O’Brien’s on Highway 7. Lunch is optional.